News | Whisky business

Records have been smashed for the world’s largest bottle of Scotch whisky ever filled. Measuring 311 litres in volume and at 1.8 metres in height, this massive bottle of whisky is the brainchild of the upcoming whisky firms Fah Mai Holdings Group Inc and Rosewin Holdings PLC. The whisky combines two sister casks of a 32-year-old Macallan single malt which were expertly married together by the team at Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky. Taking over an hour to fill, the bottle shattered the previous record by 83 litres, set by The Famous Grouse in 2012.

Named ‘The Intrepid,’ the bottle pays homage to 11 of the world’s greatest explorers, with their images appearing on the label. It aims to highlight their upcoming expeditions as well as promoting their charities. The bottle will head to auction later in the year, and it's hoped that it will break a further world record for the most expensive bottle of whisky ever bought at auction.

Bruichladdich is working to ensure that by 2025 its distillation process will be net zero. The distillery – which was the first in Scotland to achieve B Corp status – is shifting its business model to one of selfsufficiency and sustainability.

The company is pioneering an innovative method to produce green hydrogen, by using green electricity and water electrolysis. This is a more sustainable option compared to the current most common method which uses natural gas and creates CO2 in the process. The distillery is planning to rely on renewables being installed across Islay over the next few years. Douglas Taylor, Bruichladdich’s chief executive has said this innovative strategy is based on their view to “think big, start small, but start today.”

The Scotch Whisky Association has set a net zero target date of 2040, earlier than the UK and Scottish government targets, and so it is hoped that other distilleries will soon be heading in the same sustainable direction.

‘The oldest Japanese whisky to ever hit the market,’ is set for an exceptionally limited global release. Following an initial Japan-only rollout in early 2020, only 100 bottles of Yamazaki 55 Year Old will be released worldwide.

Combining three single malts from the 1960s, Yamazaki 55 Year Old's oldest component was distilled by Suntory's founder Shinjiro Torii in 1960 and aged in Mizunara oak casks. This has been combined with whisky from 1961 and 1964 that was distilled by Suntory's second master blender Keizo Saji and matured in American white oak caks. These expressions were then picked and blended by current chief blender Shinji Fukuyo in collaboration with Shingo Torii, Shinjiro Torii’s grandson. Yamazaki will be donating $5,000 for each bottle purchased to The White Oak Initiative, which works to ensure the sustainability of American white oak forests.

The historical significance of this release and the extremely low number of bottles available make this an exceptional opportunity for collectors and investors. Look out for this spectacular release at our Piccadilly boutique and online at www.whiskyshop.com.

The rare Scotch whisky auction market is showing a positive recovery following a slump in the number of bottles sold in 2020 due to the double impact of Covid-19 and Brexit. Despite a challenging 2020, the market is forecasted for a record-breaking year based on trading in the first half of 2021. Figures by whisky analysts and brokers, Rare Whisky 101, show that nearly 85,000 bottles of single malt Scotch whisky with a value of over £36 million were traded in the first half of the year.

If the current rate of growth is maintained, an estimated 172,500 bottles would be traded over the whole of 2021, a figure 20 per cent higher than in 2019. Our experts at The Whisky Shop Auctions see this as a trend which is set to continue in the new year, as a more optimistic market sets hold.

A new record sale for The Dalmore has been made at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong. The only complete set of all six bottles, The Dalmore Decades No.6 Collection has been sold as a single lot at auction for £830,000. The Dalmore Decades is a collection of six exceptional whiskies which celebrate the craftsmanship of the Highland distillery over the past 60 years.

Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s Spirits Specialist comments: “The Dalmore is truly an icon of the whisky world, and this collection encapsulates everything that the distillery stands for. In today’s premium whisky market, it also encapsulates the key elements sought after by collectors.”

In addition, The Dalmore has announced it will donate £100,000 from the sale to the V&A Dundee, Scotland’s first design museum, as part of their first philanthropic partnership launched in December 2020.